Boulder cross country coach Monique Guidry celebrates Saturday with Class 5A state champion Kel- sey Lakowske, left, at the Arapahoe County Fairgrounds in Aurora. Woody Kincaid, above, of Columbine wins the 5A boys race. "I never expected to be here," he said.

ARAPAHOE COUNTY ,CO--OCTOBER 30TH 2010--William Kincaid, Columbine High School, crosses the finish line in a cloud of dust to win the boys 5A Colorado Cross Country State Championship at the Arapahoe County Fairgrounds Saturday afternoon. Andy Cross, The Denver Post

Kincaid’s improbable rise to the top and Lakowske’s remarkable comeback from a serious injury made them both Class 5A champions Saturday at the blustery Arapahoe County Fairgrounds.

“I never expected to be here,” said Kincaid, who became Columbine’s first champion cross country runner in a winning time of 15 minutes, 58.68 seconds. “But I’m here now, and what else can you say about that?”

Kincaid was the only Columbine boy in the race. After winning the prestate meet on the same course in September, he came in Saturday as a slight favorite even if the regional times said otherwise.

The senior bided his time near the lead pack that included Jeffco rival Danny Carney of Dakota Ridge, along with Chaparral’s Keagan Vargo, Mountain Vista’s Stephen Chipman and Heritage’s Garret Lee.

Then, much as he did in September, Kincaid took advantage of the hills.

“This race was so much different, especially with the wind being in my face,” said Kincaid, who was on the phone with his ill grandmother immediately after the race to tell her the good news. “That made this course that much tougher.”

Fort Collins — led by top-15 finishes from David Garcia, Griffin May and Tait Rutherford — won its first team title since 2005 with 116 points. Heritage (157) and Mountain Vista (208) rounded out the top three.

Lakowske, who had surgery to remove bone chips in her patella tendon in May, didn’t run a full season but got healthy enough in time to be ready for her biggest day.

Lakowske, who joined Melody Fairchild as a two-time champion from Boulder, paced herself behind Highlands Ranch’s Eleanor Fulton and Fort Collins’ Erin Hooker and then pounced at about the 2-mile mark.

“Considering my situation, this is the best course I could possibly have,” said Lakowske, who finished in 18:11.13. “It took a cross country runner, not a track runner.

“I told myself, ‘I’ll play with the hand I’m dealt. I have only these cards and that is what I can play with. If I play them really well, maybe I can win.’ “

A stumble and fall by Fulton not only guaranteed Lakowske’s victory but opened the door for Hooker, whose second-place finish helped the Lambkins to an improbable third consecutive team championship.

“The teams are all so close this year and we were really relying on our pack runners, 3-4-5 runners, to help carry us,” Hooker said of teammates Marci Witczak, Teleah McClintock, Maddie Staab and Audry Oweimrin.

The intense team competition between Boulder and Monarch — fun to watch all season long — never materialized Saturday. Boulder finished second and Monarch was fourth behind Arapahoe.

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